Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

One can be proud irrespective of recompense.

Most politicians spend more money on their work than they receive in this respect and this point has often been made in this debate. This is absolutely true, but does it follow from this that the State should fund whatever we wish to spend individually on politics, our campaigns, services for constituents and so on? If we wish to set up three, four or five offices in our constituencies, should the State fund them? I do not think so.